Archive for March 15th, 2010

Islam is in the news. Oftentimes the news isn’t good. We hear many atrocious stories about this supposedly peaceful religion. Mainstream Muslims decry what Muslims like Osama bin Laden say and do to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They argue that Islam does not teach Muslims to be violent. Muslims and non-Muslims are confused because of the conflicting teachings of Islam.

Do you know that mainstream Islam only focuses on the first twelve years of Islam, 610-622 A.D., when the teachings of Prophet Muhammad had not been defined? You should ask your Muslim friends why they selectively follow Muhammad. During this twelve-year period, only one out of the five pillars of Islam was practiced. Muhammad and his companions observed only the five daily prayers. The rest of the five pillars of Islam did not materialize until 631 A.D.

It took Muhammad that long to come up with the rest of the five pillars because he was very indecisive. The Hadith shows that Prophet Muhammad and his fellow Muslims first observed the Arab idol worshipers’ fast in Mecca. And when they migrated to Medina in 622 A.D., they adopted Jews’ fast up until there was fallout a few years later. Muhammad and his companions also performed pilgrimage to Mecca with Arab idolaters before the institution of Hajj in 631 A.D. The Hadith also shows that the present-day pilgrimage has similar rituals as that of Arab idol worshippers’.

Why do mainstream Muslims stick to the earlier teachings of Prophet Muhammad and selectively believe and practice Islam of post-622 A.D. where Islam was defined as a religion? Are they ashamed of practicing authentic Islam? We are left to speculate.